Zoom Prayer Cancelled for This Week

Announcements

We plan to resume In-Person worship on May 9th!   with appropriate distancing and masks.  RSVP for each Sunday as space is limited. 

Clean up days Still Happening:
May 8 from 9-11 am: Ocean Ambassadors at Barn Island in Stonington (for all ages). The goal is to remove 1000 pounds of marine debris and ocean plastics. To register
for either or both of these events, please go to Events Archive - Mystic Aquarium.

May Mission Focus:  Church World Service Blanket Fund.  There are so many ways CWS Blankets make a difference in dire situations.  They provide warmth, padding when sleeping on concrete, or a temporary wall when privacy isn't an option. Let us spread love to others going through difficult times such as people in homeless shelters, or recovering after tornadoes, hail, high winds or hurricanes. Notify Melanie Ouellette (chairman of Mission committee) if you have questions. Thank you for your support in advance. 
 
Strengthen the Church  The Strengthen the Church offering  is received by the UCC to support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations.  We collect this offering Pentecost Sunday (May 23rd) to demonstrate our commitment to creating a just world for all by investing in new ministries and practices that meet the emerging needs of local communities. This offering initiative is presented by the Stewardship Committee.  Thank  you. 

COMMUNION WORSHIP BULLETIN              

FIFTH SUNDAY IN EASTER                                                       
 
“As an Open and Affirming church:
      We respect the worth and dignity of all persons who come into our church family regardless of race, age, marital standing, gender, economic status, mental or physical challenges, nationality or sexual identity.  We promise to support one another in our personal struggles, to understand and accept differences in one another, and pray to strengthen our love and acceptance.” 

WELCOME
PRELUDE               “Canon in D” - Pachelbel                   Michelle Macina, flautist         
 
SILENT MEDITATION IN PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP
 
CALL TO WORSHIP             
            See what love has been given to us, that we should be called
            Children of God
By this we know love, that Jesus Christ came in the flesh,
Lived and died, that God’s love might be made plain among us.
            Beloved, let us love one another in deed and in truth.
Because we love one another, we know we have passed
from death into life.
This is the victory that overcomes the world,
through Jesus our risen Christ.  Amen
 
HYMN #4          Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You                   Hymn to Joy
 

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION                        (debts - debtors)
O God, we have ignored our origins in you and nations have denied your rule.  We have turned away from brothers and sisters as if they were enemies to be hated.  We are afraid to love those who differ from us or who have the power to harm us.  We hesitate to care for fear of being hurt.   Help us embrace the risk of grace.  Release us from our fears and failures to trust Your love as our guide, so we may live with bold generosity.  Hear our prayer, O God . . .
 
PERSONAL PRAYER OF CONFESSION
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
            There is good news for all who sincerely repent and seek
            a living, growing relationship with God.  Those who are open to           
            the gift of God’s love are blessed with the capacity to extend love to others. 
We open ourselves to God, who provides the depth and riches of life intended for us.  Let us love one another so God’s love is perfected in us.  Amen. 
 
GLORIA PATRI #759         
            Glory to the Creator, the Christ, the Holy Spirit
            Three in One; as it was in the beginning,
            Is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.                         
 
PASSING OF THE PEACE
            May the peace of Christ be with you.
                        And also with you.  
 
TIME FOR CHILDREN
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS                                              John 15:1-8                                                                                                        1 John 4:7-21 
 
SERMON                                       New Shoots or Deadwood?
MOMENTS OF SILENCE  
HYMN #347              Let Us Talents and Tongue Employ        Linstead L.M.
 

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
The Invitation
            At this table, we receive God's peace made flesh. 
            What we receive, we now share.  Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
            Let us give thanks to God our Maker.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
     For You, Creator God, the valleys laugh and sing
     and the trees of the field clap their hands. 
Your earth summons us to break silence and be one with the song of Creation.  We give you thanks and praise. 
     For you, God of all, the church in its myriad forms
     and countless languages honors its Savior. 
We join with millions around this table and in worship. 
        In heaven, beyond our seeing, the angels and saints
       are caught up in song.
And those we have loved and lost are part of that great company.  They call us to be one with the harmony of heaven. 
     So, gladly we join our voices to those of earth, sea, and sky
      in the universal hymn of praise which echoes through time and eternity: 
Holy, holy, holy Lord.  God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. 
Hosanna in the highest. 
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Words of Institution
Prayer of Consecration and Lord's Prayer    ("debts” and “debtors”)
Distribution of the Elements
            The Bread
            The Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Holy God, we have been gathered by you, caught in your net, summoned to your table.  We have received of your generous hospitality and been surrounded by the breath of your spirit in this shared meal.  May we go forth nourished enough to recognize the living Christ in our neighbor and the stranger, so we may live and serve in His name.  Amen
 
HYMN #163              Many Are the Lightbeams                             Mabune
BENEDICTION 
POSTLUDE                                               “The Call of the Trumpets” - Purcell                
 

Worship Notes
“Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706). Public Domain.
“The Call of the Trumpets” by Henry Purcell (1659-1695), arr. by Franklin Ritter. Copyright 1991. Lorenz Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. One License Song # 1047295.  
Hymn #4, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You, Henry van Dyke; Hymn to Joy, Ludwig von Beethoven, adap. &harm. Edward Hodges.  Public Domain
Hymn #347, Let Us Talents and Tongue Employ, Fred Kaan; Linstead L.M. Jamaican folk song, adapt. Doreen Potter.  CCLI Song # 178577
Hymn #163, Many Are the Lightbeams, Cyprian of Carthage, trans. David Lewis; Lightbeams, Olle Widesrand, arr. Darryl Nixon. OneLicense #01706


All Hymns from the (NCH) New Century Hymnal; © 1995 The Pilgrim Press, have been granted permission for this one-time use.      
Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #735340-A. All rights reserved.  Permissions granted under CCLI License # 11212116
Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession/Assurance adapted from Led By Love by Lavon Baylor, p. 94

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. - Psalm 23:1 (NRSV)
      After being advised by my doctor recently to drink more water, I placed myself on a water-drinking regimen. Initially I struggled because my palate had never taken a liking to what I considered to be the blandness of water.
Every day I drank water, but I wanted something else.
        In about a month, the unexpected happened.  I developed a taste and a liking for water.  I no longer have to force myself to drink it.
I now choose water over soft drinks and juices - water is now what I want, not just what I need.
       I’ve often wondered how the writer of Psalm 23 could claim to have no more wants.  I viewed being in the Lord’s flock as a moral duty that prohibited the fulfillment of any other wants and desires.  But now I’m looking at my empty water glass and wanting more of something good for me that I thought I’d never really want.  Maybe when we say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” we give the Holy Spirit permission to not only change our direction, but our desires.
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to taste and see that you are good.   Amen.                                  -Kenneth Samuel, (adapted)

Global Ministries Prayers for Indonesia  O God, be with the people of East Nusa Tenggara Province who were struck by Cyclone Seroja on Easter Sunday; have mercy on those who suffered loss of life, property, and livelihoods. Strengthen those in GMIT’s Disaster Response Teams in congregations, presbyteries, and the synod who continue to provide shelter, emergency relief, pastoral care and trauma healing. May your Loving Care embrace the people who have lost everything—those on Sabu, Raijua, and Rote Islands because of the winds and rains; those on Pantar and Alor Islands because of massive landslides. May the Holy Spirit breathe courage and cooperation into your people of southeast Indonesia as they rebuild their churches and homes; recover from the loss of loved ones and livestock. Grant them time to grieve well so they may rest in Your Peace that passes understanding. In the name of Jesus, who is ever present in this suffering and recovery, we pray. Amen.

Ministers:  the Congregation
Susan G. Latourette, Pastor – 860-759-4231, pastorsuel@yahoo.com
Michael G.  Noonan, Director of Music
Kay Lautzenheiser, Christian Education Coordinator
Rosemary Kuemper, Church Secretary
Charlotte Melia, Sexton      
Office hours:  Monday –Thursday, 9 am - 1 pm
860-535-0379       nostoucc@comcast.net

Our mailing address is:                                         Website:  www.northstoningtonucc.com
89 Main Street, P.O. Box 66  
North Stonington CT  06359

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